Monday, May 1, 2017

The Forces of Bacchus by D. A.

1. The Forces of Bacchus reading starts in the state of North Carolina in the Rowan county. The main focus was on the temperance of alcohol that had slowly emerged through the county. The Rowan county had consisted of a very religious community which had come to realize alcohol and its limits. The church believed in a limit and moderation of alcohol and that drinking was to be taken modestly. As time went by, the population in the state grew excessively, bringing in all types of people, and businesses. Taverns became a part of the community, adding alcohol to many parts of the Rowan county. Seeing the increase of alcohol and the clear necessity that it was, to many of the residents, problems arose, violence within the men who drank, abuse to their spouses. The government believed in allowing alcohol licenses to those with "good character" but as time went by, temperance groups arose, religious groups, activists, wanting to abstain, limit, or prohibit the use of alcohol.

2. The purpose and point of view of the speaker were to add an emphasis on the temperance that had become such a harsh demand in the Rowan county. Many religious groups tried to prohibit alcohol and found ways to really increase that demand of abstinence of any alcoholic drink in reference to the bible and proclaiming it as a sin or an evil that would come upon the individual if they were to drink.The speaker explained how temperance activists wanted to force the community to a limitation of drinking but poorly failed since the demand for alcohol as well as business in the community were to increase. Those residents did not see the taverns as a bad thing but a service that was to be provided to the community.

3. In class, we discussed more reasons as to why temperance groups and religious groups saw alcohol as a problem. Temperance activists believed alcohol ruined potential, ruining families, causing violence amongst each other, and as well as promoting political corruption. In reference to these beliefs, these temperance groups decided to try and raise awareness in the community, creating pictures, showing everyone what alcohol does to you and what it symbolizes. In class, we also discussed a temporary prohibition of alcohol that led to the actions of smuggling and residents secretly bringing in alcohol, drinking indoors. It did lead to less drunk people in public, less violence since many had to hide to drink but smuggling did become a part of the temporary prohibition.

4. Some of the conclusions we drew in class were the types of people that made up temperest activists, for example, the consistency of many whigs in the activist's groups than democrats. We also concluded that of all the types of groups that were against alcohol, religious and activists, the religious groups were more modest in explaining that drinking would have been easier to not do but it was encouraged to a limit. The activist's groups encouraged prohibition much more and wanted it to be a thing.

5. Some questions that were left wondering went towards a concept of what if the prohibition of alcohol really went through ? In ways it did, but if alcohol was to be fully prohibited, what would have changed, what would the community become, and how the residents in the community would have lived. Alcohol was such a demand to many many residents in the Rowan County, but if there were none whatsoever, I would like to see how many people depended on it.